What's all the hubbub about? Original Santa Babies

Thursday

Dec 29, 2011 at 12:01 AMDec 29, 2011 at 12:06 PM

Dixie, Dorothy and Dolly are together again. The Santa Babies have always stood out as the stars of the annual Shadowbox Live show Holiday Hoopla, which continues through Friday in the Brewery District.

Michael Grossberg, For The Columbus Dispatch

Dixie, Dorothy and Dolly are together again.

The Santa Babies have always stood out as the stars of the annual Shadowbox Live show Holiday Hoopla, which continues through Friday in the Brewery District.

The 20th edition, though, marks a homecoming for the three original members of the long-running act, which parodies a group of vocalists.

“It’s been like an old high-school reunion,” said Julie Klein, 48.

She plays Dixie, the ringleader.

“It’s great to be onstage together again and do characters that you’re that familiar with,” said Stephanie Shull, 43.

She plays the nerdy Dorothy.

Stacie Boord, who plays the innocently sexy Dolly, hadn’t performed the iconic role with Klein and Shull for a decade.

She was appearing at the Shadowbox venue in Newport, Ky., that closed on July?9.

“I’m so happy to be back and reunited with this act,” said Boord, 43.

In 1993, when the Santa Babies were born, Shadowbox was just getting started.

“We were in our infancy, and there was no standard, no thought that we’d keep doing this,” Boord recalled. “Our first sketch, which focused more on the music and less on the bits, had the feel of trying to do a bad lounge act but sounding good. .?.?. We expected to do something else the next year.”

Shull remembers how quickly their roles fell into place.

“Dolly was the child, Dixie was the mother, and Dorothy was the grandmother or great-aunt,” she said. “Stacie’s Dolly was obviously the flirt, the group’s sex kitten, and Julie was very sophisticated — clearly the leader who ran the act. .?.?. I think I knew I was always going to be the nerdy character.”

The longevity of the trio, Klein thinks, stems from its multilevel appeal.

“The Santa Babies are goofy, but they’re still good entertainers who can sing like in those old variety shows such as Laugh-In or The Dean Martin Show,” she said. “If you had three girls up there who were funny but couldn’t sing, it would only be half the act.”

Audience interaction makes up a key part of the winning formula.

Most notably, a man is recruited at each performance to play Santa Claus — this year, at the center of Big Santa, a parody of the Sweet Charity song Big Spender.

“The guys we bring onstage add the most unpredictable elements,” Shull said. “Typically, Dolly hangs over the guy while I give him some serious hip bumps.”

Mike Lewis — who this month attended a Holiday Hoopla for the first time, with four friends — was chosen that night as Santa.

“It was crazy,” said the 48-year-old from Pataskala. “My buddies were there, and I couldn’t let them down.

“The Santa Babies asked me to sit onstage and say ‘Ho-ho-ho’ when they pointed at me. I thought their act was a ‘10’ — very professional, funny and cute.”

Spencer Stuart of Hilliard has seen Holiday Hoopla six times since 2005.

“I like the Santa Babies because they celebrate Christmas with songs and entertainment,” the 35-year-old said.

Stuart has been selected twice as Santa — most recently, when he attended the show this month with his wife and two friends.

“The audience enthusiasm has never waned, because these women are so genuine and charismatic,” he said. “People have no trouble accepting Dixie, Dorothy and Dolly as real people who have a direct link to our entire history.”

As the director of Holiday Hoopla, Guyer has watched the act mature through the years.

“Dolly’s skirt-flipping shtick has always been cute, but it’s gone beyond that to some very clever and witty one-liners,” he said. “Dorothy has gone from the quiet nerd with a beautiful voice to a mainstay of the comedy, driving a lot of the sketch with rhythmic gymnastics.

“And Dixie, originally just one of the girls, has come into her own as the hard-drinking leader of the group who best embodies their heart of gold.”

Their reunion was easily rehearsed, the actresses agreed, and turned into a pleasure to perform.

“It’s like riding a bike,” Boord said.

“After two decades, the Santa Babies are so ingrained in us that we picked up right where we left off.”

mgrossberg@dispatch.com

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